Hallucinations
by BoatsAgainstTheCurrent
Summary: Mara feels like her world is too real to be a dream but too strange to be real. After living in Chamberlain for four years (and having hallucinated about a very familiar looking boy), she journeys back to Castle Rock. There, she feels like everything is back to normal, for she meets the boy and reunites with her friends, until she wakes up, confused in a hospital's waiting room.
1. Hallucinations

"Can someone please tell me the electron configuration….."

I kept hearing these noises in the back of my mind, but I had no idea what they meant or where they were coming from. I was floating away and there was a weird turning in my stomach. All I could see was a boy, a boy that looked hauntingly familiar, but I couldn't remember. Then suddenly I felt a hand on my arm, but I didn't know whose it was.

"Mara! Wake up Mar." There was a voice again and this time the hand was shaking me furiously. I was in darkness for a split second more, until there was a sudden blinding light. I blinked a few times, trying to adjust myself to wherever I was.

I saw a girl in front of me, about my age. She was staring at me in astonishment.

"Mara, are you okay?" She looked concerned for some reason.

I looked around slowly, trying to remember where I was and what had happened.

"What the hell happened to you? One second you're sitting there, perfectly awake and fine, and then the next, you fall out of your desk in a dead faint." Yes, I did know this girl. Lucy Lammack, best friend since forever.

I tried shaking my head, seeing clearly where I was. Lucy wasn't the only person there. I was in a classroom full of students, all staring at me.

"No. It-it can't be. He was here. I swear," I looked Lucy straight into the eyes. She looked back, purely concerned.

"Mara? What is going on?"

I shook my head, not believing it, "He was here. He was. Right in the front of the class room. Standing right there. Not saying anything. Just there."

Every one was silent. Even the teacher spoke nothing, waiting for me to stop. But I knew what I was talking about. I hadn't imagined him.

"Mr. Brockton, I think Mara needs to go home," Lucy turned to the teacher, as she began to raise me off of the floor.

"No, I'm serious," I tried defending myself, and I resisted as she pulled, but she was too strong. She pulled me up onto my feet, but I was weak and tired and everything was a daze.

"Mar, look at me," Lucy held me by the shoulders and her blue eyes bored into mine, "You were hallucinating. I don't know who you were talking about, but it was just your imagination."

I hated hearing that word, imagination, when it was used as blame.

I gave up and let my shoulders fall, lowering my head.

The class remained silent until Mr. Brockton spoke, "Yes, Lucy, please bring her to the office."

I wanted to say something, but as I was about to, I changed my mind, knowing it would do no good.

I went with it and let Lucy lead me to the office. She grabbed my hand as we walked. She seemed nervous or anxious, every five seconds pulling a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

I was silent, not wanting to say anything that I knew wouldn't be believed anyway.

Lucy dragged me closely behind until we got to our destination, the office. Just as we reached the principal's office, she halted me to a complete stop and yet again, looked me dead in the eye.

"Mara, I think it's unusual what just happened, and I know it was just a hallucination, but I think I know just exactly who you saw in your mind and why you fainted." She looked so sincere and utterly serious, that I was knocked out of my breath.

She continued to stare at me as she tucked yet another strand of her loose, chocolate brown hair behind her ear.

I began to feel even stranger than I already did. I didn't feel like I was actually here, in this school. It was too real to be a dream, but too strange to be real. I wanted to wrap my mind around everything that I had just experienced in the last few minutes. Who was that odd, familiar looking boy I had seen in my mind? Why did I feel like even though I knew Lucy was my best friend, that we didn't really know each other?

But it became too much to bear and I wiped all questions from my mind.

Lucy gave me another concerned look as I stared into empty, open space, "As a matter of fact, I am certain I know who was haunting you."

She started to pace back and forth.

The world seemed to quiet, I felt like Lucy and I were the only ones in it.

There was not a person in sight around us, and I couldn't hear a single noise coming from any direction.

"What? Who?" I asked eagerly, desperately wanting to know her answer.

She opened her mouth to speak, but at that exact moment, the office door opened, and someone peeked through.

"Hi Principal Rabanaugh," Lucy spoke quickly.

"Did you two need to see me?" He spoke, almost impatiently.

Lucy looked at me quickly, as if to see how I was doing, "Yes, sir, we did."

The Principal motioned us inside. But I didn't particularly want to. I just wanted to hear Lucy's answer.

Lucy sat me down at the nearest chair and stood behind me as Principal Rabanaugh sat down behind his desk.

He folded his hands and awaited that someone begin to speak.

I sat impatiently as Lucy started explaining how I had fainted. She acted so concerned, that I knew she knew something that maybe even I didn't.

Finally, Principal Rabanaugh called my parents, and I got to leave the office, and the school.

I needed to clear things.

As soon as Lucy shut the door behind herself, I asked her, "Who was it? In my hallucination."

She took a quick breath. She looked afraid to say it, as if she thought if she did, things could never be the same again.

"It was Christopher Chambers."


	2. Home

**Hey y'all. Here is chapter two. Thanks to CherryPezFoo for being my first reviewer on this story, and thanks to fanfictionslover for following and favoriting. **

I looked at Lucy as if she were crazy, which she probably was.

"You think it was Chris?" I shivered. I didn't want to think back to those days. I had pushed it all back into my mind as far as I could. I covered it up and hid it away.

I shook my head, trying not to think about all the memories. I didn't want to think of Castle Rock, or the tree house, or Teddy, Gordie, and Vern, or most of all, Christopher Chambers.

Lucy looked at me, assured that it was him who I had been hallucinating about.

I furrowed my brows, "I don't know. I guess it could have been him, it must have been him." Who else would haunt me like that?

"Look Mar, you just need to go home and relax and get him out of your head." Lucy comforted me. We were still outside of the office, and still, no one was around.

"Do you want me to walk home with you?" Lucy offered, looking concerned again.

"Nah, I'll be fine. Don't worry so much," I tried to shrug it off, but she whimpered.

"I don't know Mara. You shouldn't walk home alone, especially after you just fainted."

I rolled my eyes, but didn't let Lucy see it, "Okay, you can walk me home."

The both of us left school. It was only noon, but it felt so much later. The sky was overcast and dark. Clouds were forming and I could already feel sprinkles of rain on my skin.

Lucy walked to my left, hugging herself as if to protect herself from the cold.

"Why do you think you suddenly had this remembrance of Chris?" She asked, once we were already half way to my house. It was the first thing either of us had spoken so far.

I sighed, "I don't know." I just wanted to avoid the subject, but in a way, I felt like I needed to talk about it.

"What exactly did you see?" Lucy asked, curiously, as she turned to face me.

"That's exactly the problem, it was weird. I only saw him for a moment. But in that moment, he simply stood there, just stood there. And then he walked away as you woke me up." I thought a second longer and then said, "And he was wearing what he always used to wear, a dirty white shirt, faded, ripped blue jeans, and his torn up keds."

I shook my head in remembrance of him. Back then, he had been my best friend. He had always been my best friend. Nobody could change that. He was better friends with me than he was with Gordie, and that was saying something.

Gordie was one of the shyest, yet nicest guys someone could ever meet. His writing was a gift. He was so amazing at it, but it was like he refused to believe it.

It pained me to think of them, the guys I had hung around my whole life, up to the age of twelve. We were all each other had. Chris was hated in Castle Rock because of his family's reputation. But he was nothing like them. He was like the black sheep of his family, and it was a huge compliment, though the guys and I were the only ones who believed it.

Lucy broke me out of my trance, "You're thinking about them, aren't you?"

I nodded, trying not to think about them anymore.

Lucy had been my best friend only since I left Castle Rock at the age of thirteen. I came to Chamberlain, a complete stranger, utterly alone. I knew no one but my four best friends and it was such a weird, terrifying world without them. They were no longer there to protect me.

But then I met Lucy, and she was the only one besides the guys who understood me perfectly, even now.

"It's okay Mar. I know you miss them."

It had now begun raining heavily. Within a split second, I was soaked to the bone. Lucy grabbed my hand as we both ran the last block to my house.

The street I lived on was isolated from the rest of the world and dead quiet. There were only a few houses situated in it, and they were all drab and boring.

I lived at the very end of the street, where the sun never shown and the birds never chirped. My house was a decent size. It was painted a light purple, and if it was possible, it slightly lit up the street. My parents were nice people, and they liked everything to be pretty, that's why I never understood why they decided to move to that exact location.

I turned to Lucy, "Well, bye. See you tomorrow."

"Bye," she said, and with a warning look she added, "Call me if you aren't feeling well."

I nodded, but at that same time, I mentally wrote a note to myself to say that I wouldn't allow my brain to make me sad or depressed.

She walked off and I stepped onto my porch, knocking on the front door, neatly decorated with a golden knocker.

Barely did I have to wait, when my mom opened up, shocked to see me.

"Honey, what are you doing here?" Her eyes were wide, but she wasn't upset.

To avoid any long conversations and calls to the principal's office, I simply said, "I wasn't feeling well. They sent me home."

She nodded, understanding, and bid me inside.

I was struck motionless from the moment I entered. I could hear my mom saying something to me. It involved her making tea, but I ignored it. I was too shocked and slightly horrified at what I saw.

One: There was awful disorder in the house.

And Two: The disorder was caused by boxes everywhere. Boxes labeled "Moving."


	3. The News

**Hi, here's chapter three. Please leave a review and add any suggestions if you have them, because I always appreciate them. Thanks to Duck, Cherry, Chris, and Teddy for reviewing You guys are the best. Anyway, read on.**

I tried to take it all in. The boxes were everywhere, on tables, on the floor, in corners. Some were open and filled with clothes and valuable objects. Others were already sealed shut. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

"Mom, what's going on?" I turned to her, eyebrows raised.

She seemed very calm, but I could tell she wished to avoid the subject.

"Look honey, we meant to tell you sooner…" She slowly led me towards the couch and sat next to me.

I looked around again and then back to my mom.

She sighed, "We're moving back to Castle Rock."

I gasped, not believing it. I never thought I would go back there. I never thought I would see it again, even though it was only half an hour away from Chamberlain.

"But why?" I wondered, utterly shocked.

"Well, that's the other thing. Your father got fired from work and he decided it was best to move back to Castle Rock to find another job. Apparently over the past few years, the businesses have picked up again. Castle Rock is a busier town now."

I raised my eyebrows again, finding that impossible to believe. Castle Rock had never been a busy town, and I never imagined it could be. It was too small and isolated and it was too boring.

I got up off of the couch and looked back at my mom, "Why didn't you tell me sooner? I could have prepared. When are we leaving?" I had suddenly become overwhelmed with questions and thoughts.

"I'm sorry honey, I didn't want you to be worried or upset so soon. I knew you would miss Lucy and I just didn't want to put you through that."

I nodded slightly, "So when are we leaving?" I could feel all the worry on my face.

"Tomorrow," my mom replied with a small voice.

My breath was stuck in my throat, "Tomorrow," I repeated, "Oh god."

I wouldn't even have time to say goodbye to Lucy. It was like getting punched in the stomach. It was so sudden and it knocked everything out of me.

My mom got up and hugged me, "I really am sorry honey. But look at the bright side of things; you'll get to see your old friends again."

And that was when I truly became frightened, worried, scared, and freaked out to the maximum. It had been five years, five long years away from my best friends. I had missed them like crazy, like no one could ever understand. But there was no way they would recognize me or remember me. I didn't want to go back. I didn't want to be overwhelmed with sadness and this horrible empty feeling in my heart when I saw the town and how it had changed. I could already picture the guys.

Chris: He had probably grown tall and handsome in the past few years. He probably had dozens of girls following him around, but he refused to date any of them, because he was too Chris for that.

Gordie: He probably hadn't changed much, still sitting around all day and writing.

Teddy: There was no doubt, he was still his crazy player self, naïve to the fact that no girl liked him, even though he thought every girl did.

Then of course there was Vern. I could imagine him as having grown up a bit, no longer his chubby adorable self.

I smiled a tiny bit thinking about the guys, but I was thrown back into reality quickly, and my stomach churned.  
Who knew what they could have turned out as? Maybe Chris had really just turned into an exact copy of his father. Maybe he now only spent his days drinking and raging around, even more hated than he had been. Maybe Teddy was no in a mental hospital, spending his days in a cell, still dreaming of being in the army.

Maybe Gordie had given up his dream of becoming a writer, thinking he wasn't good enough. Maybe Vern hadn't ended his addiction with Cherry Pez and he had blown up to being a blimp, so much so that he now resembled his cousin. Now that was a real horrible thing to think about. There were so many maybes. It was all in the unknown. Maybe I would return to the town and the guys would have disappeared. What if no one really did remember me?

I didn't want to go back. I wanted to stay here, where I wouldn't let all those thoughts haunt me. Moving back meant not knowing what was ahead, not knowing how everything had turned out. Where were the Cobras now? Had Ace, though it seemed unlikely, gone off to college?

I had so many questions, and they seemed better left unanswered.

"Come on honey, I'll go make some tea." As my mother left the room, I sat down in the middle of the floor, pushing the boxes around to make room. My mom had already packed most of everything. All my pictures and clothes were stashed away.

I randomly began looking through everything, just to see all the junk that I owned. An old Mickey Mouse watch, a baseball cap, a pair of worn jeans…

And then I saw something that almost brought me to tears. It was something I hadn't seen in years. It looked dusty, something that had been hidden under a mountain of junk for eternity. I blew on it and wiped particles of dust off of it, and underneath was a picture of me and the guys.

I was standing in the center, wearing a huge grin. My long, light hair was in my face. I was standing in the middle of an open field on a sunny yet windy day. Vern stood behind me, peeking over my shoulder, with a goofy smile. Beside him, stood Teddy, rolling his eyes, half way about to punch Vern. Gordie was lying in the very front, his head stuck in a magazine. And finally, Chris stood directly next to me, his arm draped over my shoulder. He was staring directly at me and smiling as if he couldn't be happier.

That was the last picture we had taken with each other before I had left for Chamberlain.

We were all twelve years old at the time.

Amazing, how time seems like it goes by slowly, yet it breaks from our grasp so suddenly.


	4. Last Day

**Hi guys. Thanks to Cherry and eyeballsgirl for leaving amazing reviews. You guys are the best. Thank you, as always, to my Tedward for leaving a review. You rock Teddy. **

My mom came back with the tea. She handed me a steaming cup and sat back down amongst the boxes of packing peanuts and items. I stayed sitting on the floor, with the picture of me and the guys in my hand.

I felt the need to keep looking at it. Whenever I looked away, I had to look back.

My mom didn't seem to notice it because she was too absorbed in her hot cup of tea. I started sipping the fruit flavored beverage, simultaneously packing things I had taken out of the boxes back in.

Once I had tidied up a bit, my mom stood up, "Alright honey, let's pack the rest of everything. We need to get this done before tomorrow."

I waited for a moment before asking an important question, "When are we leaving tomorrow?"

I knew my mom could hear some sorrow and sadness in my voice, because she looked at me sympathetically, "After school." She then took my empty cup from my hands and headed towards the kitchen, "Don't forget to get the rest of your stuff from your room," she called.

I nodded, not intending for her to see it, and I started up the stairs at the front of the house, next to the living room.

As I climbed, I noticed even more boxes everywhere. They bordered the edge of the staircase and stacked up on each other. Until that moment, I hadn't even realized how much stuff we owned, most of it junk that I hadn't even used for years. And most of it belonged to me.

When I reached the second floor, I made a right turn for my bedroom. Walking in, I noticed only a few things still inside. At the very front of the room to my left was my desk. No longer did anything stand a top it. My chair was gone as well. A few feet behind it, propped nicely against the wall, was my bed. The sheets and pillows were all gone; just the mattress remained. When I looked to my very right, I saw my dresser. Other than a few lousy objects on top of it, it was bare. On the inside I found nothing but a few hair pins and a penny.

I picked up the penny and immediately remembered Vern, promising myself I would bring it to him. I looked around the room one last time. My curtains still hung on the windows, so I simply took them down.

I grabbed my few items that I had seen and carried them downstairs, hoping I didn't have to drag the heavier things down as well. Maybe they would stay anyway.

It was a strange experience, walking down the stairs, knowing that this would be one of the last times I would. It wasn't necessarily sad, just strange.

Once I was on the main floor again, I made a beeline for the kitchen and sat myself down in one of the nearest chairs.

There, I sat for a few minutes and tried to imagine what the next few days would be like.

**The Next Day…**

I woke up early for school. For a moment I had completely forgotten that we were to leave that day. I knew there was something, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. Then, within a split second, it came flooding back to me. I felt a sickness in the pit of my stomach, and a churning feeling. The worst thing was that I had to go to school and tell my best friend that I was leaving. But no, I couldn't tell her that I was leaving within a month, because I was actually leaving within a few hours.

Getting up, I felt tired and lousy. My room was empty and I had no clothes in my dresser. I had to go downstairs to dig out a pair of worn out jeans and a shirt. After throwing those on, I went into the upstairs bathroom to wash my face. My eyes were droopy and had dark circles around them. The night before, I had barely been able to sleep. I had been anxious and scared, yet slightly excited at the same time.

After washing my face, I ran back down to the first floor to grab toast before heading out the door. My hair was unkempt and my teeth not brushed, but I didn't mind.

In the process of slamming the door shut on my way out, my mom quickly called, "Bye honey."

"Bye!" I shouted back, running down the porch steps and to school.

It was a nice day. All the rain from the day before was gone. Not even a puddle could be seen. Suddenly, I felt okay. I was no longer feeling sick or gloomy, though I did feel nervous.

I didn't want to tell Lucy about me leaving. The thought was so terrifying and horrible. She was exactly what the boys had been to me after I moved, and I knew I would miss her terribly.

After only a few minutes, the school came into sight. Tons of students were bustling around, many smoking at bike racks or on benches. As I came closer, I could make out Lucy. She as well had spotted me and she waved, starting towards me.

That was when my stomach flipped over.

I debated.

_Tell her now._

_Tell her later._

_Tell her now. _

_Tell her later. _

I went with now.


	5. Seasons

**I decided to rewrite chapter 5, so please leave a review. Again, I want to thank Cherry and Duck for reviewing every chapter. **

Lucy stopped in front of me. She looked happy to see me, but I could tell that she still wanted to make sure I was alright, "You okay today Mar?"

I tried to muster up a smile while my stomach churned slowly on the inside, like a mixer. But I couldn't lie to her. Immediately after lifting the corners of my mouth slightly, I let them fall down again, "No, I'm not alright," I admitted honestly, "But it's not because of Chris."

Lucy looked at me, her face completely etched with worry and fear, "What's wrong then?"

"I'm leaving, back to Castle Rock." My voice was tiny, as I tried to make it as silent as possible. I didn't want to see my best friend's reaction.

"You mean you're moving back?" Her eyes widened as she tried to take it in.

I nodded.

"But-bu-," I could see Lucy was about to cry. Her eyes began to water and she started to pace. She took a deep breath and said, "But it'll only be for a little bit right? I mean, we only have a semester of high school left. We applied to Harvard together. We'll both get in and we'll see each other soon."

It looked like she was trying to reassure herself, but we both knew it was unlikely for the both of us to get accepted into Harvard.

I felt on the verge of tears myself, "Yeah, don't worry. It's not like we won't ever see each other again."

I tried a smile, but it was difficult to lift the muscles in my mouth.

She nodded as we started walking in the direction of the school. Students were already heading inside, but neither of us were in a hurry.

Lucy tried to look at some of the positives, "At least you'll get to see the guys again, right?"

I nodded, but after telling her, it was hard to be happy about that.

Lucy was the only friend I had after leaving Castle Rock. All my life beforehand, I had only known guys. Guys were my best friends, they were my brothers, and they were my family. Before I came to Chamberlain, I knew nothing about what other girls were like. I just knew that all of them seemed to like the color pink, boys, clothes, shoes, and hairspray.

That was it. I came to Chamberlain a complete and total tomboy. I wore torn jeans, dirty keds, and plain t-shirts.

When I met Lucy, everything changed. I moved, expecting to become friends with only guys in my class, guys who smoked and swore. But it was quite the opposite.

I met Lucy, expecting she would be a nightmare. But she turned out to be exactly what the guys back in Castle Rock had been to me.

I would return to Castle Rock now, at the age of 17, a girly girl. I didn't know whether or not the guys would recognize me. This was one of the things that made me nervous.

I looked back at Lucy. We had stopped in front of the building, about to go in. The bell rang, but I ignored it.

"Thanks for being a great friend," I told her, before I climbed the steps into the school.

She smiled when I turned back to face her, "You too. But there's no way we are never seeing each other again."

I just smiled back, and walked into the building.

**After school**

The bell rang loudly, and the halls flooded with students quickly. The day had been long and tiring, so I rushed into the crowd as fast as possible, shoving my way through to get to the fresh air.

Once I was outside, I waited for a few moments, hoping Lucy would come quickly, so we could still walk home together.

It was cool outside, slightly chilly. The wind was blowing softly through the trees, bringing leaves down to the ground as well.

It was a haunting feel almost, more like it was October than half way through the school year.

People rushed through the large school doors, in a hurry to escape. Among them, I saw Lucy, her long dark hair flying behind her as she ran towards me.

The event of that morning seemed to have escaped her, for she wore a nice smile on her face.

"We walking together?" she asked.

"Of course," and as I said it, I realized that it would be the last time we walked back together, out of all the times we had. We walked through all four seasons, the crisp fall, the snowy, white winter, the rainy spring, and the soft, warm summer. Oregon had a beautiful mixing of seasons. Each was so independent and lovely. It was what I had adored my whole life.

Even in Castle Rock, when I was young, the boys and I would observe every season, and we talked about which was our favorite.

I smiled at the memory. Lucy saw me, and smiled as well, but didn't ask.

Now, as we walked towards my house for the last time, I imagined each season, and each time I had walked here. I remembered each time in Castle Rock as well.

I came to a sudden realization.

Vern was autumn, colorful and fun.

Teddy was winter, cold and angry and wild, but full of determination.

Gordie was spring, shy and quiet, brilliant and creative.

Chris was summer, more than just warm. He was smart, nice, sweet and protective. But there was more under the layer. He was full of pain and tears and bad memories.

I continued walking with Lucy, recalling all of the boys' characteristics while I watched the world around me. It was quiet at the moment, and I saw each of them in it. I knew, at that moment, that no matter where I was, and even though I had been in Chamberlain for almost five years, the guys had always been there, and would always be.


	6. Back to Castle Rock

**Hi Everyone! This is finally the moving chapter! I know, sorry it took so long. I just didn't want to rush it too badly. Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter and review. **

**My bestie, celestialstarynight/Tedward-The-Awesome, deserves a huge thank you, including a hug. She always reads and reviews no matter what. Love ya Teddy.**

My goodbye to Lucy was quick. Although I didn't cry, I was horribly sad. Suddenly, the atmosphere around us felt depressing and gloomy. The wind had picked up in the last few minutes and I was beginning to feel really cold.

I hugged Lucy once we had reached my house, and other than a few mutterings of "I love you," and "See you soon," we said nothing.

I headed into the house. It was now completely empty. The boxes had all been placed into the moving truck that stood out front. I felt emptiness in my stomach as I took off my shoes and placed them neatly beside the front door.

It was hauntingly quiet as I looked around the living room area. Where the couch had been that morning, now only laid dust bunnies. The chimney was the only noticeable object. Other than that, the room was plain and depressing.

I considered going back outside to sit on the steps of the porch when my mom entered the room, carrying only her purse and a jacket. My dad followed behind her. The both of them looked ready to leave.

"Hey honey," my dad said brightly, and I wondered how he could sound so happy.

"Hey," I replied, gloomily.

"Ready to leave?" He asked me.

I only nodded as I made my way immediately back to the front door.

It had all been so sudden, it felt like at most we were going on a quick two-day camping trip. But no, this was a final long-term thing.

I thought of Lucy as I climbed into my dad's new '63 Ford Falcon. I wondered if she really believed that we would both get accepted into Harvard. I mean, it was Harvard for god's sake. I barely thought it was possible that I would get accepted, let alone the both of us.

I sighed, hoping I could keep the promise of me coming back soon. I mean, I was almost eighteen for Christ's sake. I didn't need to stay in Castle Rock for much longer. I reassured myself, promising that once I graduated (and got my own car), I would visit Lucy.

On the half hour car ride, I sulkily sat in the back seat and looked out the window as we passed field after field. I became so bored, that I started counting them. Once my mother announced that we were only five minutes away, the count had totaled to 34.

I looked around now, with a new excitement. In the distance, I could see the beginnings of the town. It curved slightly up onto a hill, but I couldn't see the valley, where many of my memories lived.

My mom looked back at me from the passenger seat, "Are you excited?"

I smiled slightly, "Yeah, sort of." It wasn't a lie, but another part of me was super nervous. My stomach was doing odd flops and I found it hard to breathe correctly. My palms began to sweat as we inched closer and closer. I wiped them off on my worn out jeans as I remembered what I was wearing. I looked down at my mess of an outfit, realizing I looked exactly like I had when I was twelve, keds, jeans, and a shirt. I didn't try any harder than that.

Now we were directly at the border of town. No longer was my stomach flopping. It was now threatening to come up my throat and out of my mouth. I was so nervous, my teeth began chattering and my hands began shaking violently.

The edge of the town seemed quiet, still very familiar to me. I could barely hear any noises from the outlying woods, not a hoot.

We entered slowly, and I felt like I was walking into some sort of fairy tale. Everything was so unreal.

At first glance, I thought that nothing had changed, and my mom had been mistaken. But after a closer look as we neared the downtown area, I realized she was right. The businesses were thriving and the area was bustling. The population sign read 5,000, double what it had been almost five years beforehand. I stared with shock. It was actually… lively. People seemed happy. The town looked brighter.

My mom turned back to me with a grin, "Wow." Apparently, that was all she could muster. My dad looked happy as well. I could see a smile forming on his face as we drove further through town.

Now, I was eager to get out.

"Guys, stop the car. Please." I said. We had just passed downtown, and I didn't think I could handle staying in the car another moment. I wanted to see the tree house, the Blue Point Diner, the Candy Shop, everything.

My dad stopped without asking. I figured he must have known.

I quickly opened the car door and rushed back in the opposite direction. My first stop was the tree house, no question about it.

It was chilly, but I loved it. It made everything seem fresh and new. The whole town was new. It had been reborn, something I never thought could possibly happen in a million years. It was something the boys and I had always joked about. We didn't believe in Castle Rock. It was a boring town with no hope, no people, and not much happiness.

I continued running. I didn't even stop to take a breath.

It was remarkable that even after all those years, I still knew exactly where everything was, exactly where I was going.

And sure enough, I came to it.

It looked beautiful. But by beautiful, I mean as awful as always. But it was a beautiful kind of awful. An awful that only meant it was so worn down and tired, one would immediately recognize it as home.

I looked at it lovingly. The ladder of the tree house was still sturdy looking as it leaned against the tree.

An excitement rose inside of me, and as I was about to step forward and climb inside, I heard a familiar voice behind me. I hadn't heard that voice in so long, it sent chills up my spine.


	7. Meeting the Guys Again

**Thank you Tedward, Duck, and TheDeLorean for reviewing! Oh, and sorry Duck that I couldn't update faster. I appreciated that you reviewed to ask me to update again though. **

**I dedicate this chapter to all you readers and reviewers out there! I hope you like this chapter. And if you have any suggestions for the story, I'd be happy to hear them. Thanks again. **

**P.S- Shout out to Tedward. Thank you so much for your awesome story ideas all the time. I really appreciate it! Love ya.**

I was afraid to turn around. The voice was so familiar. I could have picked it out anywhere, but I was afraid of it at the same time.

There was a short silence before I decided I needed to turn.

"Hello?" The voice said, impatiently waiting for me to acknowledge him.

I began to turn, but I moved very slowly, so as not to limit the shock I would feel when I saw the person.

I had almost turned 180 degrees, when I slightly pinched my eyes closed. My heart was beating at a million miles a minute and I breathed heavily.

I had fully spun around, but my eyes were still pinched shut. I could almost feel the person in front of me, wondering why I was acting so odd.

With one final breath, I opened my eyes suddenly and stared at who stood before me.

Key features jumped out at me immediately, the glasses, the boots, and that horribly deformed ear. It seemed that I had forgotten how to breathe. It was Teddy Duchamp. It was really him. Only the older Teddy no longer had the hair that made his ears stick out like jug handles, and he had grown tall and handsome.

He repeated, "Hello." He raised his eyebrows slightly. I still hadn't spoken a word to him.

"Uh hi," I shyly tilted my head down, worrying he would recognize me. I wasn't prepared for that.

"Are you new here?" He asked nicely, shoving his hands down in his jean pockets.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

He nodded, "I'm Teddy, Teddy Duchamp." He had now started walking towards me and he stuck out his hand for me to shake it.

I took it reluctantly, for some reason worrying if I shook it he would immediately recognize me.

"What's your name?" He asked curiously afterwards.

It looked like he would at any moment open his eyes widely and remember me.

"I'm…" I tried to avoid saying it, but I didn't want to lie, "I'm Mara."

After a quick moment of silence, Teddy's eyes did what I had awaited. He scanned me for a second, and almost jumped up with excitement, "Mara?! Holy shit, is it really you?!"

I laughed and nodded, "Yep it's me."

"Holy shit, man, I mean the guys will be so excited to see you, especially Chris. I mean, he's been carrying around a picture of you for years. He is still so in love with you," Teddy took a break to snicker slightly, "He keeps turning down every girl that asks him out, and there have been a lot of those." He laughed again, while I let those last few sentences sink in.

Chris actually liked me? Yeah right. It was just Duchamp speaking.

Teddy was still laughing once I saw someone come up behind him. He was a skinny boy with dark hair and he was none other than Gordon Lachance.

I stood awkwardly, awaiting either Teddy to stop laughing or Gordie to say something about the random girl standing before him.

But instead, Gordie looked at me, and without needing any help remembering, he ran up to me, looked me in the eye and said, "Mara?"

Before I could answer, I was being given a huge embrace by a sack of bones.

"My god Gord-o, you got so tall," I smiled at him after he let go.

"And you've gotten so," He stepped back to look at me, "gorgeous. I mean, it's not that you weren't gorgeous before, because you were, but I mean, you grew." He blushed but I laughed and ruffled his hair.

"So where's Vern-o?" I asked once I had the chance, "Let me guess, the candy shop."

Teddy had finally ended his cackling to walk over to me, "No, actually his pez addiction is finally over." He nodded his head, smirking slightly. I guessed that he was recalling memories of Vern running in and out of the candy shop with an armful of Cherry Pez.

"So where else could he be?" Now that I thought of it, I realized I had never known a Vern without Pez. A Vern without Pez was like a telephone without a cord.

Teddy shrugged, "Maybe downtown with his girlfriend somewhere."

I almost choked, "Girlfriend? Vern has a girlfriend?"

Teddy nodded, laughing again.

"Wow," Never would I had thought that Vern Tessio would get a girlfriend, at least not for a long time.

"Well, what about Chris?" I asked, a little nervously.

Teddy shrugged again, "I have no idea where he is. I've been looking for him all day."

I nodded, a little upset, because although I tried not to admit it, Chris was the one that I had been most excited to see.


	8. Vern and Chris

**Hi, so here's chapter 8. Dedicated to everyone! Haha, hope you guys like it and review. Finally, Chris enters the story! Okay, well he is sorta technically in it. You'll see… I somehow managed to write 7,000 words so far without Chris. It was pretty difficult. **

**Your welcome Duck for the chapter dedication. Smiley face. **

It was unusual, seeing the guys again. And somehow, in just a few minutes we were completely updated on each other's lives. It was just Gordie, Teddy and me, but we enjoyed talking to each other for a few hours. We sat up in the tree house as the sun set slowly in the distance, happily smoking some cigarettes and playing some good ol' gin rummy. It was like old times again, carefree childhood.

Teddy seemed happy to ramble on about random things that were going on in Castle Rock. He told me about the transformation of the old run down town into the new bustling wonderland I had come back to. Gordie remained silent much of the time, like I had expected, but he nodded his head in recognition and smiled the entire time. Warmth filled my heart at being back with my best friend, my family.

Once it had gotten dark outside, we became silent and enjoyed the stillness of nature. I was about to get up to leave, when a small knocking came from below. It was a very familiar knocking, one I had known my whole life. I hadn't heard it in years, but when it reached my ears, it was as if being transported back in time. It was clear as day.

My heart skipped a beat, wondering whether it was Chris or Vern standing just outside. Teddy was the first to get up and open the latch. I held my breath with anxiousness. But I could never have prepared for what I saw next.

It was a completely transformed Vern. He looked like there had been some horrible chemical accident. He looked like the result of a lab experiment gone wrong, or right in his case.

Standing before me now, as he climbed up into the small enclosure, was a Vern with a built up chest and muscular arms. But he was tall too, super tall. He barely fit in the tree house. I almost didn't believe that he was actually seventeen. The only recognizable "Vern I used to know" characteristic that he still had was his face. It wasn't chubby or pudgy, but he still had his eyes, nose, and hair.

"Holy shit," were the first words I could muster. I was standing still, dumbstruck, agape.

Vern hadn't noticed me up until that point, or he had chosen to ignore me.

Now I could see why he had a girlfriend.

He stared me down, trying to figure out if he knew me from somewhere, "You look familiar." He scratched his head and wrinkled his forehead. His voice came as a shock to me. It was deep and rumbled slightly like thunder.

I remained silent.

"What's your name?" He asked simply.

"Aw shit man, it's Mara for Christ's sake!" Teddy practically shouted.

Now, looking at Duchamp next to Vern, I realized how pathetic he looked next to him. He looked like a guy that Vern would have picked on, not the other way around. I pictured the days when Teddy walked around, being followed by the annoying, question-asking Vern. Teddy would roll his eyes and usually punch Vern. It made me laugh, comparing those old days to now.

Vern's eyes grew big, looking only slightly like the old Tessio I had once known, "What? No way. Hell no."

I nodded, "Yes, Tessio. It is me."

Before I knew it, I was being hugged again. But this hug was very different from the one I had received from Mr. Skinny Gordie. It was like being embraced by a huge boulder.

"I can't believe this."

He stepped back and sat down on one of our old "stools."

"So how's life Vern-o?" I asked, but immediately felt uncomfortable. I hardly felt like I was speaking to the same guy anymore. And I definitely felt like I could no longer call him Vern-o.

"Decent," he replied.

"I know you have a girlfriend," I grinned, "Congrats."

"Oh not you too." He complained in a joking way, "I was bothered by Teddy about it for about a year. Don't you start now."

I laughed, "Don't worry. I'm not making fun of it. I just think it's… weird."

Teddy nodded, "That's because it is weird. Vern was never meant to turn out like this." He cringed slightly.

I sat back, amused at my old friends.

They really hadn't changed all that much.

"Jesus bald-headed Christ, where is Chris?" Teddy asked.

Vern shrugged, "Haven't seen him today."

As if on cue, a knocking came again. This time, I literally couldn't breathe. It felt like my heart was lodged in my throat.

"Shit," I whispered only so I could hear. I was about to see Chris again. It had to be Chris. This was both my happiest moment, but also my worst nightmare.

Vern stood up, moved his chair to make room, and opened the latch slowly.

I thought time stood still. It couldn't happen fast enough. Everything was dramatically quiet, and yet again, just like a few days beforehand, I felt like nothing was real, like I wasn't actually in the moment.

I couldn't remember anything.

A figure ascended the ladder, slowly but surely.

All I could hear was the steady pounding of my chest. My vision was blurry and fuzzy as I tried to make out what the person looked like.

And indeed, it was him. It was most definitely, without a doubt him. How I knew? Well, he hadn't changed too much, except for the fact that he had gotten even better looking. I used to think that wasn't possible. But clearly, it was.

He stood there, with his sandy blonde hair gleaming in the moonlight, and his piercingly blue eyes boring into mine. I paid no attention to anything else. It was as if I were in a trance and I couldn't be broken from it.

But then I saw his lips part upwards only slightly, and it was obvious he knew who I was.


	9. The Picture

**I want to thank all of my reviewers! I was so happy to get so many reviews for chapter 8!**

**Tedward/celestial- Haha your reviews are hilarious. I thank you as always.**

**Duck- Thank you for being such a dedicated reviewer. Here's your update.**

**TheDeLorean- Thank you so much as well! I really appreciate your reviews.**

**Cherry- Thank you so much for your reviews for all the chapters! I'm glad you love it.**

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**I love you all! Thanks for reading and reviewing even if it takes me a while to update. **

For a moment, we all remained silent. Teddy grabbed my arm and Chris' simultaneously and pushed us together to hug. I didn't speak as my head rested on Chris' shoulder and his on mine. All time was lost as we stood there. Memories came flooding back to me, too much to handle. Had I really been separated from him for so long, so many years?

It was a crazy thought.

As we hugged, I thought back to one of the times when Chris had comforted me. I was transported back. It had been a lovely day, with the trees bathing in the basking sunlight. It was a comfortable kind of warm outside. The birds were chirping, the flowers were blooming, and everyone seemed happy. It was early morning in 1952. I was only five years old. I was simply enjoying the beautiful day outside, not allowing myself to be bothered by anyone. My front yard was a wonderland to me. It was huge and green and I found myself spending hours out there.

I was carefree, twirling and twirling until I felt like I would hurl, when a ten year old Ace Merrill, future leader of the Cobras, the most feared gang in town, showed up on my street. He started cursing at me and calling me names to the point where I started crying. Once he walked away, I sat down on the lawn and curled into a ball, hugging my legs and weeping. Little did I know, a boy my age was lurking behind a bush not too far from where I was. This little boy was a certain Chris Chambers, whom I would soon be best friends with. He had seen Ace cursing and yelling at me, and as soon as he was gone, he came out from behind the bushes and walked shyly over to me.

I was still curled up and I hadn't seen him, so he poked me softly in the shoulder. I had looked up and scrunched back in shock of seeing this boy.

But he assured me he wouldn't hurt me. After that, he sat beside me and comforted me. And just like that, we became inseparable friends.

Now as I held onto Chris, I remembered that day and a smile crept onto my face.

"Mara," he whispered as if he hadn't had a chance to say my name in so long.

"Chris," I whispered back.

The other boys were still crowded around us, not speaking. But I could see in Teddy's eyes that he thought we were being way to "mushy".

Finally, the two of us separated and had a chance to talk.

"Wow," was all Chris seemed to manage at first.

I nodded, time had done him good. He had grown much and his beautiful golden hair was no longer buzzed. He was finally showing it off. He didn't look very much like the old Chris I remembered. I understood now why Teddy said many girls asked him out, although he was still a Chambers.

It was pitch black out and I heard the crickets chirping. I realized at that moment that I had no idea where my new home was located. I had been in too much of a hurry to visit the tree house.

I figured it might be the same house as it had been before, so I managed a goodbye to the guys.

"I gotta go and find my house," I smiled at all of them, looking at each of their new yet familiar faces. I received a hug from all of them, a hug that symbolized to me they were happy I was back.

I descended the ladder and started walking. A cool breeze drifted through the air. It was fresh and calming and it awoke me from the small tiredness I was feeling.

The darkness was nice and oddly relaxing. I was finally home again, after so many years of being away, separated from my very best friends.

I walked for a few minutes, not able to see much except for the few feet ahead of me and parts of the street that the streetlamps lit up. It was slightly haunting in the dark. I remembered years ago, the guys and I would always sneak out in the middle of the night to visit the tree house. There we happily played gin rummy, along with only the other few card games we knew. We would laugh loudly, not caring who heard.

We rolled our eyes at Vern, laughed at Teddy, and sat around, carefree about anything else. All we knew was that we had each other.

I began to near the street I knew as home. My heart sped up, eager to see what it now looked like. My old keds scraped silently against the cement. The wind twirled around me more and more.

Goosebumps spread onto my arms, but not because of the cold. I heard something behind me, something, or someone, stalking me. I held my breath, immediately thinking Ace Merrill had come to haunt me. I didn't want to turn to see my worst nightmare come alive. Ace had been a bad memory, one of the only truly horrifying memories I had of Castle Rock. But as I slowly turned, I knew it couldn't be him. The figure standing only a few yards away, was not menacing looking. His outline looked familiar and friendly. Although I could hardly make out the details of his face, I could see his smile. It was Chris.

I didn't move as I motioned him to come closer. He had followed me for god only knew how long.

He slowly walked towards me, shuffling his keds along the ground. He was wearing a leather jacket that I had never seen before. It was something he would have only dreamed of as a twelve year old. But he looked good in it. Actually, he looked great in it, underneath, wearing one of his good old white t-shirts with a pack of cigarettes rolled up in it. His hair looked a little messier than it had previously, a result of the breeze.

We now only stood inches from each other, neither of us speaking. I realized that we hadn't really spoken at all since I returned. We just stood there hugging.

"Long time no see," he whispered, his voice becoming part of the wind, carried away.

I nodded, not sure what to reply.

Slowly, Chris reached into his jacket's pocket. He pulled out a small, wrinkled looking piece of paper that looked blank. But when he turned it around, I saw the picture that sent a tear down my cheek, the picture that I had only discovered a few days before hand, sitting in the moving box. It was the picture of the guys and me on that sunny day in a field. Vern was grinning happily, Teddy was rolling his eyes, Gordie was reading his book, and Chris was staring at me with a broad smile, his arm slung across my shoulders.

I let out a tiny laugh as the tear slid down my cheek.

"I have never gone anywhere without this picture," Chris blushed slightly as he put it back into his pocket.

I looked up at him, "Really?"

He nodded, "I really missed you Mar."

It was my turn to blush, "I missed you too."

The last words I heard were, "And I love you."

I didn't have a chance to respond, because before I could, he leant in slowly, cupping my face in his hand, and kissed me. I didn't know where I was anymore. All I felt was Chris' soft strong hand and his warm breath.

That was all I remembered, because after that, all I saw was darkness.


	10. The Hospital

**Hey everyone. Well, this is the final chapter. Cherry, you almost guessed the ending correctly! I hope you like this ending, as well as all my other reviewers. I appreciate all the reviews you guys left me. Love you all. Please review again!**

The darkness lasted a few more moments. In that amount of time, I was somewhere between a dream state and reality. I saw Chris' face float through the blackness but it wasn't totally clear. I realized that I was somehow floating away, or was it falling? My stomach churned slightly as I tried to figure out what was going on. Was this some sort of dream? I couldn't even remember where I had been just a few moments earlier.

Suddenly, I was no longer moving through space. It was still dark, but I had stopped and I could hear faint murmurs in the distance, nearing me.

Should I try to open my eyes? I debated with myself a few moments, wondering if it was safe. I couldn't remember anything from before hand, and I was still unsure of how real the whole situation was.

I slowly let my eyelids flutter open, taking in small patches of light. The first thing I saw was other people, people all around me, whispering to each other. They sat in chairs and leaned against walls. Some slept and some looked worried, chewing on their fingernails. One woman was twisting the ends of her hair nervously.

I noticed that I was in a chair as well, in a room among these humans, but I had no idea what for.

I looked around, with a new curiosity, hoping to pick up clues. Beyond the small room I was in, was a desk. It was large and tall, almost completely hiding the woman that sat behind it. I could tell though that behind the desk stood other women as well. They were standing, wearing all matching clothes. I recognized them to be scrubs.

That was when I got the hint, the only hint I needed to make me realize exactly where I was. I was in the midst of a bustling hospital, surrounded by nurses and worried, nervous people. But why was I here? I couldn't remember anything past the last few minutes of my arrival.

I continued scanning my surroundings, when I spotted a young nurse looking at me. Her face was pale and she wore a frown. She started to walk towards me, and my heart skipped two beats. I remained seated though as I heard only the clicking of her heels on the hospital floor.

"Mrs. Chambers?" The woman questioned.

Chambers? The name sounded familiar but I didn't know why she was calling me by it.

I nodded quickly, without putting much thought into it.

The young nurse looked down at me, and I swore I could see a tear running down her cheek, "I have some bad news. It's about your husband, Christopher."

I swear I felt my heart stop.


End file.
